


Falling somewhere near love

by madicham



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Other, Post-Canon, jaden's in there only for flavour, vague spoilers for gx s3&4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22402393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madicham/pseuds/madicham
Summary: Really, Jesse should hate Yubel, or at least dislike Yubel.Somehow, someway, he cared about Yubel instead
Relationships: Johan Andersen | Jesse Anderson/Yubel, Johan Andersen | Jesse Anderson/Yubel Johan Andersen | Yubel Jesse Anderson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Falling somewhere near love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ArtificialTVirus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtificialTVirus/gifts).



> Fic trade with frien !  
> I did my best and I really hope I got everything right <3  
> this is also probably the longest fic I've written so far aaa it was a challenge
> 
> As per request - they fall in love, or start to, there's kisses, Yubel's an it while a card spirit since cards wouldn't have a gender, switches to he while looking like Jess

Jesse had resigned himself to this. He hadn’t known Jaden and the others for very long but somehow they had just _clicked_ , they had become close enough that he didn’t mind dying in this strange world for them. He was prepared to waste away in the desert or be torn apart by duel monsters.

What he wasn’t prepared for was possession.

Apparently winning the duel didn’t make Yubel disappear, just ripped it away from its previous host. Apparently now it needed a new one.

Before he knew it, Jesse had become exactly that.   
Before he knew it, he was trapped in his own head.

It was overwhelming.

Between the waves of emotions and memories and thoughts and love and pain, Jesse wondered if this is how possession is supposed to work.

Sure, there was Yubel, in its true form, cheerfully telling him how he’s going to be used as bait to destroy Jaden. But there was also a human, a child that looked kind of like Yubel, kind of like him, tied down in a dark room, surrounded by faceless wizards doing _something_ , performing a ritual, and it hurt, it hurt so much, but it would all be worth it, it was all for Him, for the King. Even after He died, after everyone it ever knew died, it’d be worth it, because He’d be born again, and He was, there He was finally finally _finally._

Only it wasn’t final, they were separated again, and it was painful again, but it was worth it again. It was worth it again, wasn’t it? It had to be, _it had to be_. All this time and all this pain, it had to be for something.

And it was, it was, it was. It was all for power, wasn’t it. It had to be. All this pain was for power and all this power was for love, and all this love was for the King.

Or it was supposed to be.

But something had happened. Something wasn’t right.

Somewhere along the way something had changed, the King had changed, Yubel had changed, s _omething_ had changed. Only all these feelings remained the same, lost and overflowing, with nowhere to go, and now Jesse was drowning in them.

Then Yubel noticed, then it all stopped, and suddenly Jesse could feel nothing.

All thoughts and emotions were gone, as if he was frozen, crystalized, mind desperately trying to stay aware but it was useless.

And as the last of his thoughts were fading, all he could think about was Yubel. Like this it almost made sense, everything it had done. He couldn’t excuse it, but he understood it, to an extent. He felt sorry for it, to an extent.

Next thing he knew, Jesse was free.

Yubel had ripped his soul from his body as soon as it realized he had somehow accessed all of its memories and emotions, and trapped him in Rainbow Dark Dragon, then Jaden had freed him, and here he was, back to normal, alone in his head.

It felt kind of empty, if only for a moment.

But then his remaining friends surrounded him, dragged him away, and Jaden went to duel Yubel again and who knows what happened then. Syrus, the only somewhat-reliable witness, couldn’t explain it exactly, but whatever it was, neither of them had returned from it.

Quite a few of the people that went into the Dark World didn’t return, but there was nothing to be done about it except quietly mourn.

Jesse mourned Yubel as well, just a little bit. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for it, just a little bit, when the only person that would care to do something like that had disappeared with it.

And then it turned out that was all for nothing – Jaden returned, so different yet still the same.

The Darkness, another darkness attacked, and it was Jaden who had to face it, and Jesse had to be by his side, at least for a little bit. He ended up sacrificing himself again, and the decision was a bit easier this time around. He was certain his friend would come out on top, and he did, and life continued again.

There was no Yubel to possess him this time.

He never did find out what happened to it.

It felt kind of awkward to ask too. Why should he care anyway?

It must have all worked out somehow, and if Jaden wasn’t talking about it, there must have been a reason. He didn’t want to pry.

But at the same time, thoughts of Yubel haunted him.

He didn’t want to admit it at first. After all, Yubel had nothing to do with him. Really, he should hate it. Sure, a lot had happened to it, but that didn’t excuse its actions.

Ah maybe that was the problem.

He knew everything about Yubel now.

Yubel knew that he knew everything about it now.

He felt like that had to lead to _something_ , but it didn’t. He never saw Yubel again, never even acknowledged it, never got closure.

Even now, when everything should have finally been back to normal, Yubel haunted his dreams.

Not every night, not so much that he was scared to sleep.

Occasionally, just as he thought it had passed, that dream would come again.

It wasn’t a complicated one. He was back in the crystalized black void he had first ended up in when he was possessed. Lying on the ground, that dark version of himself over him, holding him down. Strong hands clutched his neck tightly, cutting off any air he tried to take in and any sound he tried to make. All he could see was his own face, with demonic orange eyes, staring down at him, expression twisted in an insane grin.

Jesse would struggle, claw uselessly at Yubel’s forearms, and Yubel would squeeze harder, harder, _harder,_ until he woke up, seconds before the suffocation killed him.

He’d wake up in a cold sweat, heart beating wildly, and the crystal beasts would gather around him to calm him down.

At this point it had repeated so many times Jesse thought he should be used to it, but he never was. It was always terrifying, always left him breathless, almost in tears. And each time the struggle he put up felt more and more useless, continued a bit longer than the last time.

But what else could he do?

It was becoming more and more frequent

Here it was again.

The cold crystal on his back, his own weight on his hips and stomach, the pressure on his windpipe, it all felt so, _so_ real. He could feel even Yubel’s ragged breath on his face, saw every detail of that identical face, the way eyelids twitched, glowing orange made small, rapid movements as it took in all of him as well, pupils dilating and shrinking as they focused on different parts of him.

Maybe it would be over faster if he just let it happen.

He had already died so many times like this, at least it could be quick.

So Jesse did nothing. Only squeezed his eyes shut and laid there, teeth grit, waiting for the pain to get stronger, preparing himself to fight the survival instincts lack of air would awaken in him.

But all of that didn’t come.

The only thing that changed was Yubel’s breathing – gradually it became calmer, gentler. The grip on his throat remained firm but painless, there only to hold him in place. Apparently it didn’t need more if he wasn’t trying to go anywhere.

After a while Jesse finally dared to look. The other’s expression had also changed. It was calmer now, almost emotionless. Their eyes met.

Maybe he was digging his own grave, but he couldn’t help it. Jesse spoke

“You’re not going to do anything?”

Yubel scoffed “What am I supposed to do?”

The voice wasn’t his, but it wasn’t quite Yubel’s either. A mix, yet different from both.

The other narrowed his eyes, the look in them almost judgmental, and leaned closer, laid his chest on Jesse’s. Their faces were close, so close, the tips of their noses touching.

“What do you want from me anyway?”

Jesse’s eyes snapped open. He was awake.

His heart was racing and he was breathless, but it was different this time. No fear, no lingering pain, no need to gather his whole family to feel safe again.

Ruby was enough, and she did appear, nuzzling up in his neck with a soft squeak. She couldn’t speak like the rest of the crystal beasts, but he understood her nonetheless.

He reached to scratch behind her ears “I should probably find a way to talk to Yubel, shouldn’t I” If Yubel was still around that is. Really, the person he had to talk to first was Jaden. They were best friends, it would be fine, right?

And it was.

The call went perfectly normal. It wasn’t strange and it wasn’t awkward, not on Jaden’s side at least.

He happily told Jesse everything about what had happened, answered all his questions, and even agreed to meet and convince Yubel to talk – apparently it wasn’t the most talkative of spirits.

“On one condition of course” the brunette winked and Jesse leaned forward, amused

“What’s it gonna be Jay? I’m on the edge of my seat!”

“I dunno if you’re ready to pay the price Jess, bu~ut,” He tried to sound serious but his smile wouldn’t go away “we gotta duel!”

“Oh whatever shall I do?” Jesse dramatically put the back of his palm to his forehead, and they both laughed “That one goes without saying, ya know”

♥

The meeting was scheduled for about a month later, when Jaden came to visit. First order of business, after a bit of catching up over a nice meal, of course, was a duel.

A more casual one, on the dining room table next to the empty dishes from lunch. There weren’t any holograms, though some of the more lively spirits still popped up to pretend they’re fighting for real.

It was a close call, it always was, but Jesse came out on top this time, attacking with Ruby for the win. Jaden took the loss with a bright smile “Woah Jess, you’re really on your A game today!”

“You almost had me there though~”

“I _will_ have you in the rematch!” the other looked like he was ready to challenge him again, but stopped and jumped from the chair up on his feet “Ah well, first, for your prize” he happily gestured to the empty spot next to himself.

Silence hung in the air as Jesse watched the space with a smile. Waiting.

Jaden cleared his throat and gestured more insistently, whispering “C’mon, please?”

Nothing.

Jesse realized what was supposed to happen and raised his hands in front of his chest to try and calm Jaden down “Aha it’s fine, I don’t really—”

“No, no, I promised” Jaden assured “Yubel also promised to at least _try_ and this _isn’t_ trying!” the last part was called out into the empty air again, and again, nothing happened.

Jaden sighed, scratched the back of his neck, attempting to think of something that would salvage things. And just when Jesse was about to assure him it’s fine, at least he tried, his face lit up. There was practically a light bulb shining above his head as he sat down on the table and started going through his deck.

He picked out the Yubel card and held it above his head “Pretty please? Or I’ll have to take desperate measures” Nothing “Alright, last resort it is”

With that, the card was promptly handed to Jesse.

He stared at it for a few seconds, then it hit him exactly what these desperate measures were “Are you sure that’s fine Jay?”

“Yeah” the other smiled brightly “Just hold onto it until I gotta leave, or until you and Yubel have a chat, whichever comes first! Plus, I know you’ll treat it well”

They exchanged smiles and Jesse took the card gently, looking it over. The artwork was pretty, it gave Yubel a mysterious, vaguely dangerous, vaguely intriguing expression. He thought it was a fitting one.

They waited quietly for maybe half a minute before Jaden stood up and gathered the dishes “Well, my turn to wash these, right? You two have fun, get to know eachother!”

“I’ll try not to get possessed again” Jesse called out after him and they both laughed, and then his friend was out the door. A few moments later he could hear the faint clanking of dishes and water running, and he was sure he was going to be alone for some time.

Well, not really.

When you could see spirits, you’re never quite alone.

But alone _enough_ , as none of those spirits were coming out to talk to him. That didn’t mean they couldn’t hear him though. He could call them, he could talk to them.

Could talk to Yubel.

What a scary thought.

Jesse took a deep breath and turned his eyes back to the card, then began talking, thumbs running circles over its back “Listen, I uhh” he wasn’t really good with this kind of serious talk. In fact, the best way he knew to solve emotional crisis was dueling. But he couldn’t duel a spirit in this world, especially if that spirit refused to come and face him “I didn’t _mean_ to see everything like that, but it happened so…” a shrug “I—I’m not gonna go and talk about you with anyone but,,, I guess I just wanted to see if you’re ok now?”

The silence continued for a few seconds, and just when he thought it was hopeless—

“ _That_ was all you wanted?” There it was, finally. Yubel appeared, floating on the other side of the table, arms crossed over its chest.

Jesse gave a small, nervous laugh “Well, I figured it out just now too, but pretty much, yeah”

The spirit huffed slightly “Of course I’m fine. Jaden purged me of the Light’s influence”

“What about everything else?”

All three of Yubel’s eyes blinked confused

“What everything else? As long as I’m by Jaden’s side, nothing else matters”

“But, even without the Light, there was so much… _feelings_ ” the bluenette gestured vaguely in the air “I… felt it all, and all the love and pain and confusion just,,, tearing me apart. I couldn’t even imagine living like that, so… I’m concerned about you, Yubel”

Maybe he had crossed the line with that, because the other’s expression twisted, eyes narrowing, eyebrows furrowing, and a faint purple blush dusted its face - he couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or anger. It lunged forward, slamming its hands on the table and its forehead in Jesse’s.

Or moved like it was doing that, but there was no sound of claws on wood, no feeling on his head. The most Yubel could do like this was yell at him, but it didn’t. Its mouth opened and closed a few times, showing off sharp fangs, and it looked angrier each time.

Still, it was quite the scary sight. Jesse was taken aback, holding his breath in surprise, and didn’t dare release it until the fiend finally gathered its thoughts and spoke up.

It wasn’t a scream or a roar, but a hushed hiss trough gritted teeth “How I live is none of your business, got it? Why the fuck would _you_ care about me? Even if you know the past, I’ve _nothing_ to do with you, so _let go_ and return me to Jaden already…!”

He should’ve guessed this is how it would turn out. It made perfect sense that this is what would happen, in retrospect. But for some reason Jesse hadn’t thought that his effort would be wasted until now.

“I— let go?” he started, then suddenly stopped, blinking confused “Let go of what?”

“Of _me_ , idiot” Yubel straightened its back and its claws returned to being crossed over its chest, freeing Jesse from the obligation to act like their heads were pressed together, so he could look down and—ah so that was it.

He had unconsciously gripped the Yubel card tightly, probably from being startled. He loosened his hold and it was his turn to lean towards the other, interest sparkling in his eyes “You feel it? What happens to your card??”

“That’s obvious” It really wasn’t “SO leave it alone!”

“Right, sorry, sorry” Jesse gently laid it on the table, then looked back up at Yubel “But listen” and Yubel did, all three of its eyes staring so intensely at him, it made him nervous “I guess you and I really don’t have much to do with eachother,,, and I don’t have a particular reason to make you my business but…” he couldn’t help fidgeting, and the only thing to fidget with was the card, fingers tracing the edge of it carefully “I don’t think anyone should be suffering like you are..”

“Why?” its voice was cold “I hurt you and your _family_ ” the word was spat out “You should _want_ me to suffer”

“You were under the light’s influence then” it felt kind of weird, defending Yubel in front of itself; but at the same time he was defending his own feelings, in a weird, roundabout way “Jaden told me what kind of mess Duel Academy became when the light was possessing the students, so it’s kind of understandable, isn’t it?” he was met with a doubtful raise of a black eyebrow “I’m not saying it was ok! But the ‘you’ now wouldn’t do something like that again”

“Shut up! You don’t know anything about the current me or the past me or” a pause, then a sigh, and it’s head hung low “Goddammit,, you do” angry eyes glanced up at him “Fuck you” Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle “In the end, what do you want from me?”

“I already told you! I wanna know if you’re ok or not”

“But _why_ …!” Yubel’s tone was exasperated “ _Why_ does it _matter_ ; _why_ would you even think I’m not!? I got what I wanted, it’s obvious I’m _fine_!”

Its voice didn’t hold sadness, but Jesse still thought it was sad. Still, talking in circles like this, not being understood no matter what, it was agitating “Doesn’t sound like you’re fine..!”

A deep roar left the spirit’s throat “So what!? Why do _you_ care??”

“I don’t know!” finally Jesse raised his voice back “Just…! I just think, now that it’s all over, you deserve to be happy too, you know?” word by word, he calmed down.

Word by word, Yubel’s fierce expression mellowed out.

It still tried to sound angry when it spoke, but the poison in its tone was gone “I don’t know…! That’s none of your—”

“None of my business, _I got it_ ” Jesse interrupted with an annoyed sigh “Jaden would care as well if he knew, and you get how it’s his business, right?”

The fiend hissed “Jaden’s done _enough_ , leave him out of this. Better yet, leave _yourself_ out of this!”

“No can do! I can’t just kick back and watch you suffer quietly. Jay would want to know too, so let’s just” Jesse stood up and listened, the sound of clacking dishes had stopped. Jaden must’ve heard their yelling and was waiting for them to be done in another room “We’ll get him and you two can talk things out. You _know_ he’ll understand, probably much better than I can, with your souls being one and all!”

He even flashed a sweet smile at Yubel, but the other looked furious, terrifying. It moved to be in front, towering over him, and its eyes shined dangerously “We absolutely will not be doing anything like that”

Jesse wanted to assure the other things would be fine, or maybe just ignore it and call out for Jaden to come, but seeing it like this made the words catch in his throat. Teal eyes met heterochromatic ones and in an instant the world became black as a sudden, familiar feeling hit him.

Ah, it was happening again, wasn’t it..?

Possession.

His head spun, dizziness hit him and the bluenette had to close his eyes for a moment, trying to regain his composure. When he could look again, he was in that same crystalized black void from his dream, from when he was possessed. But it was different this time.

Before there was a feeling of being held down, trapped in his own mind, and he noticed it retroactively, only now, when it was gone. The crystals around him were bright, somehow warm, far from the cold sharp surfaces from his dreams. He could even see Rainbow Dragon’s white silhouette in the distance.

For the first time Jesse felt comfortable in his own head space.

Or, almost.

There was still an intruder here.

Yubel was in the same position it had been before. Only it wasn’t a card spirit anymore.

Not it, he. Him.

A few steps away Jesse’s mirror image stood tall, menacing, with muscular arms crossed over his chest. The almost inappropriate purple outfit and dangerous orange eyes brought enough difference between them, but seeing himself like this was still uncanny.

They stood quietly like that, just staring at eachother for a while. Oddly enough the silence wasn’t awkward. Jesse just blinked, dumbfounded, while Yubel glared right back at him.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, wasn’t sure he could even feel time in here, but finally Jesse managed to break the silence.

“You look like me again”

“Well no shit” the reply was immediate, mocking

“Why..?”

“How the fuck should I know” annoyance seeped into Yubel’s tone “It’s your mind, damn”

“You brought us here” the shock was fading away and Jesse slowly began remembering how to hold eye contact and breathe properly.

“That pea brain of yours is working _really hard_ today, huh. Wanna tell me why I did it too?”

“So I can’t call Jaden”

“Bingo!” his revelation was met with a sarcastic applause and Jesse just sighed

“You gon possess me again?”

“No, don’t need a body anymore”

A wave of relief washed over Jesse. Still, he wasn’t out of potential danger yet “What’re ya gonna do then?”

Instead of answering, Yubel simply made a face, shifting his body weight from one leg to the other. Perhaps he didn’t want to tell.

“C’mon! We can’t just stare at eachother here forever” Jesse almost-whined and Yubel looked away

“What now, how should I know what now..?”

“But,, you brought us here! Without any plan _at all_??” he insisted

“So what if I did ! It’s not like you gave me that much time to think of something” and was met with immediate protests

“And you’re gonna keep us here for how long?”

“Till you swear not to say a word to Jaden”

Jesse gave a sad look “You know I can’t do that. Why’re you so desperate to keep it all a secret anyway? You _know_ he’ll wanna help!”

“Exactly!” Yubel barked back “He’ll bend over backwards to help me, blame himself, feel bad that I’m feeling bad and all that crap we’ve been through already!” he looked away, lips pressing together into a thin, almost anxious, line “He’s done enough.. No, more like, there’s nothing else he _can_ do for me. Nothing he could’ve done in the first place…”

Jesse’s brows furrowed. Maybe it was because they were in such an intimate place, but the other seemed to be less hostile, slowly opening up. For the first time he could be described as vulnerable.

He had to handle this gently.

“What’s bothering you? Is it still the same thing?”

“Same _fucking_ thing” Yubel suddenly threw his arms in the air, sounding exasperated “that’s been _bothering_ me for… fuck, Jaden’s whole life” placing his hands on his hips, he shook his head “You’d think I’d get over it for already but _apparently not_..!”

Jesse stepped closer and placed a careful hand on the other’s shoulder to rub it soothingly “Don’t be so hard on yourself now. Even one person’s whole life would be short compared to how long you’ve been around, and Jay’s still pretty young”

“I guess…”

“Plus, falling in and out of love’s a normal thing. You’ve all the time in the world to fall _in_ love again too!”

“Why of course!” Yubel laughed, baring his teeth “Did you forget I’m a fucking card now? Who do you suggest I fall in love with? An ojama or a winger kuriboh? Or..” that grin turned into a sly smirk and he threw an arm around the other’s waist “Are you, perhaps, offering yourself~?”

“Eh, no!” Jesse tried to squirm away, flustered, earning another chuckle from his look-a-like

“C’mon, c’mon, don’ be shy! Now’s the perfect time to confess, ain’t it~” Yubel didn’t let him though, only tightening his hold on him “If nothing else, it’d explain why you’re so stubborn about me despite everything. And your ~love~ is gonna fix aaaaaall of my problems, right? Happy ever-fucking-after where you build a deck centered around me”

The fiend seemed to find the idea endlessly amusing, rattling off nonsense in a light, happy voice with only a hint of mockery. Probably the happiest Jesse had heard him.

He himself wasn’t having as much fun.

Of course, that last part was bullshit – he’d never abandon his family! The rest could make sense though.

Not that it did, but it _could_ , maybe, and the fact that was his first thought caught him off guard.

But it would explain it, right? Why he couldn’t get Yubel out of his head, why he kept dreaming about it. Especially that last variation of the dream.

And of course getting into a relationship wouldn’t instantly fix all of the spirit’s problems. In fact, it might cause more, with it being not only a spirit, but _someone else’s_ spirit. But it must be nice for Yubel to dream about something like that, right? Even tho it wouldn’t admit it, and really, wasn’t there a hint of longing in his tone when he said that? Or was Jesse just projecting.

But no, no, he _couldn’t_ be projecting, because he didn’t _long_ for a relationship, with Yubel or anyone else!

It wouldn’t work out anyway, Yubel was way too intense, too chaotic for him. He had experienced firsthand how strong those feelings burned, and while it would be extremely flattering to have someone feel like that towards him, he just couldn’t deal with it, could he?

Well, that had been back then, perhaps the other had mellowed out a bit with the fusion and the cleansing from the light and all that. But he couldn’t really know that, he didn’t have the power to peek into its heart anymore. And even if he did, it’d be wrong! Even if he did, he wouldn’t, no matter how curious he got about what he’d find there! He’d be the bigger person and respect the privacy of one’s mind and heart and—

“Owowow—!”

His hair was roughly tugged to the side and Jesse almost lost balance

“EY! I’m talkin to you here” Yubel had let go of his waist and was now standing right in front of him, still a bit too close for comfort, staring intensely at him.

“Y-yeah, I’m listnin!” he stumbled a little over his words and was

“Are you _really_?”

A defeated sigh “No, I’m not”

“You’re fucking not”

“Sorry, sorry, I spaced out for a second! Can you repeat the question?”

“What’re you thinking about so much it got your face red” Yubel huffed, lightly knocking on Jesse’s head with a knuckle “ _I asked_ what’re you gonna do now”

His face became even redder at the comment “Now?”

“When we go back to reality, cause gotta do that at _some_ point”

Jesse hummed quietly, thinking for a moment, then took a small step and closed the distance between them. He placed a hand behind the other’s head, pulling him close to lean their foreheads together “…If that’s really what you think, then I won’t tell Jaden anything, but” his voice had been soft, gentle, but now he put some power, demand, behind it “don’t you dare just lie down and say you deserve it, got it? Find a way to be happy too” Yubel exhaled “And don’t you dare ask me why you should do that or why I care again!”

He gave a small laugh “Fine, whatever. I don’t get you at all though..”

“That hard to believe I don’t hate you or wanna see you suffer?”

“You sure you’re not in love with me” the other closed his eyes and rubbed their foreheads together, tone teasing “Sure you don’t _like like_ me~?”

“I don’t—” he started, then stopped.

He didn’t, right? No, that shouldn’t even be a question. If he was doubting it, then, it wasn’t completely impossible, was it? Love was a hard word, but maybe, _maybe_ he did like, or was starting to like, Yubel. It’s not like he was awful, not like he hated him, not like there wasn’t anything to love… So, maybe……

Sure, he was being made fun of but, with that maybe, came a feeling of guilt around saying a hard ‘no’

Embarrassed, Jesse glanced at his look-a-like “don’t know”

Orange eyes immediately snapped open “You _don’t know.._!?” The spirit grabbed Jesse by the shoulders and yanked him away, staring him down almost angrily “What the fuck do you mean you don’t know? You know! It’s not even a fucking question!! If you’re messing with me I swear I’ll—”

“No, no, I wouldn’t!” Jesse raised his hands in front of his chest defensively “I just.. feelings are confusing, ok?”

“So you don’t know”

“I.. don’t know”

“Well then” Yubel crossed his arms “Find out. Now”

“Now?” Jesse blinked “Right now?”

“Yes right now” The other repeated “We ain’t got all day, you know”

“I can’t just _find out_ on the spot like this!” he raised his voice, flustered

“Too bad! You gotta!” Yubel stomped his foot “Decide if you like me, right now! We’re not goin anywhere till you do”

Jesse furrowed his brows, exhaled through his nose and stared intensely at Yubel, who, of course, stared back, just as seriously, even holding his breath.

Neither dared even blink, engulfed in silence for what felt like forever. Until, finally…

“It’s no use” Jesse slumped down, and Yubel threw his hands in the air

“What’re you even good for!?”

“Look, it’s for your sake too that I can’t just decide something like that on a whim” Jesse gave a sad look “It’s not so easy”

“I don’t care!” Yubel demanded “You will _not_ leave me hanging on something like this, got it? You’re figuring your shit out right now, right this second!!”

“But _why?_ It doesn’t matter to you unless—”

“Shut the fuck up and think!” Jesse was wacked lightly atop the head “Hmm I _guess_ it concerns me too, so I’ll help out..” the fiend put a hand under his chin “What’s a romantic thing?”

“Dates?”

“Don’t got time for one”

“Long strolls on the beach at sunset?”

“There isn’t a beach in your head”

“Uhh, maybe—”

“I got it!” Yubel suddenly exclaimed and grabbed Jesse’s shoulders again “A kiss”

“Eh?”

“C’mere”

“No wait” the other tried to squirm away “That’s _too_ romantic, you can’t just,,, do that!”

“But if you’re so unsure doesn’t it make sense to start from the top? And if it’s a no, then it’s a no”

He thought for a moment, then, still a bit unconvinced, nodded shyly “I guess it does”

“Of course it does, c’mon” Yubel puffed his chest out, almost like he was challenging him, and he huffed

“Ok, ok, here I go!”

But he didn’t _go_. Not immediately.

Jesse took a moment to try and decide if this really was a good idea. But kissing Yubel wasn’t a disgusting thought. Just a kiss, it wouldn’t hurt, it wouldn’t be bad.

So before his look-a-like had the time to get impatient, Jesse cupped his cheeks, and closed the distance between them.

It was a soft, gentle kiss, their lips slowly moving against eachother. Yubel wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling them even closer together, but otherwise stayed mostly still, just following the other’s pace. Jesse shyly leaned into the embrace. At first he held his breath, then tried to breathe through his nose as quietly as possible in fear of ruining the moment.

They stayed like this for what felt like an eternity before they gradually pulled away, and blue dared to look again. Yubel’s expression was unreadable, orange eyes staring intensely back at him. Jesse swallowed and tried to back away, only to realize he was trapped tightly in the hug.

Alright, that was fine, hugs were nice, weren’t they? It didn’t feel particularly awkward anyway.

His hands slid down from the other’s face to rest on his shoulders, loosely hugging him back “So…” he finally spoke “How was it?”

“Don’t ask me!” Yubel scoffed, brows furrowing “This’ for you, remember? Have you figured your shit out already??”

“I—”

“Still haven’t?”

“It, it wasn’t bad but… I told you, it’s a complicated thing! I can’t decide from just one kiss” he tried, once again, to explain, but it didn’t do much good.

“That’s cause ‘t was a weak little bitch of a kiss!” Yubel declared and Jesse felt a sudden hand on the back of his head, pulling him in “Here, lemme do it”

“Yubel, wai—” but before he could say or do anything, the bluenette was dragged into another, much more forceful kiss. Their mouths crashed together, teeth clacking against eachother, and Yubel took the opportunity to immediately deepen it. A curious tongue trailed over his lips before slipping past them, and Jesse met it with his own almost by instinct. He tried to kiss back, timidly, clumsily, and was easily overpowered.

Dominating seemed to come naturally to the spirit, and he pulled Jesse closer, pressing their chests together. Small hums and gasps left them; Jesse could even feel a thin string of drool running down his chin, which made a wave of embarrassment wash over him.

They parted only when breathing became a struggle.

Yubel seemed fine, a barely-noticeable pink dusting his cheeks. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and gave a toothy grin, showing off sharp canines “SO. _How was it?_ ” he echoed the blunette’s question, though his tone held so much more confidence.

Jesse, on the other hand, was more of a mess. He was flushed red up to his ears, panting lightly. At one point he had dug his fingers into the other’s bare shoulders, and it took him a moment to realize this and let go, leaving red dots behind “I… That was… I mean…..”

Yubel raised his eyebrows and leaned forward to silently nudge him on, orange eyes burning into him. Blush deepened and Jesse tried to avert his eyes, but there was not much to look at.

“It was… good”

“Good?”

“Really good”

“And??”

He had no choice but to return the eye contact, blinking up at his look-a-like shyly “I, I liked it”

“A lot~?” he couldn’t tell if the fiend’s tone was teasing or hopeful, but he nodded.

“A lot…”

“Great!” Yubel suddenly let go and clapped his hands happily “Now that that’s settled, time to go back!”

“Wait wait, what’s settled? Nothing’s _settled_!” mild panic took over Jesse because not only was nothing settled, but he might be more confused than before, and the other deciding this on his own couldn’t be a good thing. He tried to cling onto this world, but the crystals around were already breaking apart.

“No no, it’s settled” Yubel assured and stepped away, turning his back to Jesse with a sway of his hips that made the long purple coat swing around “You liked the kiss, so you like me, so we’re a couple now. Simple stuff!”

“Wh—WHAT? Why?? You can’t just—just _decide_ something like that by yourself!” The black void they were floating in was shattering and dissolving into pure white. He’d be forced back into reality soon “You don’t even like _me_ , do you?!” he shouted, a last ditch effort to reason, but it did nothing.

“Dumbass! Don’t ask me that” Yubel shouted back, looked over his shoulder, and the white void swallowed them completely, so Jesse couldn’t be sure, but he _thought_ he saw him blush “Maybe! I’ll figure that out later!”

♥

Eyelids twitched a few times and before Jesse even managed to open them, he was met with a shout and the crash of wood hitting the floor.

“Jess! Are you ok? What happened!?”

He rubbed his eyes and lifted his head to look around. He was in his dining room, sitting in his chair, upper body leaned on the table. Jaden had jumped up and was hovering over him with a worried expression, his own chair lying tipped over on the ground.

“Ugh, I” what had happened again? For a moment Jesse’s head was empty. Then everything came back to him at once and his face turned red, but he had to play it off “I talked with Yubel. Second half of the convo happened in my head’s all” he forced out a light laugh “Wasn’t expecting it either”

Jaden let out a sigh of relief, then smiled happily “Man, that’s good! You figured your stuff out?”

Another laugh, this time much more audibly nervous “Yeh, kinda.. I got what I wanted but I think we’ve more things to talk about now”

They both looked at the Yubel card – lying on the table, under Jesse’s hand “It’s still ok to keep it while you’re here, right?”

“Yeah dude, just lemme update my deck before our next duel!” Jaden gave a happy thumbs up and Jesse returned it.

“You better hurry up then, cause I’m comin for ya!” he stood up as well, tone light.

“I’m terrified!” the brunette laughed “Oh! Actually I’ve these sweet cards that I don’t see myself using, bu~ut, they might work with your Crystal beasts”

“O, let’s see em then”

“In my bag, c’mon”

Jaden waved at him to follow and headed towards the living room. Jesse picked up the Yubel card, took a step, then stopped.

It felt everything from the card, right?

Really, he needed a little break from Yubel. It probably needed a little break from him too. It couldn’t be too long, there was still… a lot for them to figure out.

Maybe.

_Idiot, it’s a maybe for me too!_ How would a relationship with a spirit even work. With one bonded with his best friend at that.

He didn’t want to think about that now.

But if anything, the kiss had been nice.

Really, really nice. He wouldn’t mind another one before the visit ended.

But that’d come later as well.

For now, all he did was place a gentle kiss on the card, right where the face was drawn. Then he put it away and followed Jaden out of the dining room, completely missing the flustered mess of a spirit that had materialized behind him.


End file.
